Name: “Servant of
Yahweh (the LORD).” Shortest book in the Bible. Not quoted in the NT.
Date and setting: The fall of
Jerusalem is (586 BC) is past (vs. 11); the fall of Edom to Babylon (to occur in
553 BC) is future. When Jerusalem fell, the people of Edom helped
capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even
took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord. The Edomites,
as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen 25:21–26, 30);
therefore they should have helped them. Edom would be repaid for mistreating
God’s people. God is sovereign over the nations; the house of Jacob would be
restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.
Outline:
To Edom’s Neighbors: Rise
to Fight Edom! (vs. 1)
To Edom Itself: Prepare
to Fall! (vss. 2-16)
Divine judgment declared (vss. 2-9)
Edom’s pride brought down (2-4)
Edom’s wealth plundered (5-6)
Edom’s alliances broken (7)
Edom’s wisdom destroyed (8)
Edom’s army defeated (9)
Divine judgment defended (vss. 10-16)
Violence against the Jews (10-11)
Rejoicing at the Jews’ plight (12)
Assisting the enemy (13-14)
Ignoring God’s wrath (15-16)
The prophets compared experiencing God’s wrath to drinking
the cup of his judgment (Isa 51:17–23; Jer 25:15–29; Ezek
23:31–34; Rev 14:10). Jesus referred to this cup (Mark 10:38; Matt. 26:39,
42; John 18:11), which he drank for us. See also John 19:28-30.
To Judah: Expect
God to Save! (vss. 17-21)
God will deliver His people. (17-18)
God will defeat their enemies. (19-20)
God will establish their kingdom. (21)
Key verses from Obadiah:
Ob 1:10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame
shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that
strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots
for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment